Lord Warner: Guidance published in HSC 1999/176 recommends that, where no guidance has been issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the National Health Service should use existing arrangements to access publicly available evidence on the effectiveness of new interventions. Bulletins published by the National Prescribing Centre, which is funded by the Department of Health and NICE, are identified as one source of such information. Further sources of advice and information will be identified in the update of this guidance, which we plan to issue later this year.

Lord Warner: Revised guidance will be published later this year, and copies will be placed in the Library. The guidance will include advice to the National Health Service on the funding of licensed treatments or new technologies that have not been the subject of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.